Renthia Kaimbi
Fisheries authorities across Africa are strengthening cooperation to block ports from receiving illegally caught fish.
The push focuses on implementing the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA), an international treaty aimed at stopping illegal seafood from entering local markets and global trade.
The approach was discussed this week at a regional meeting in Ghana involving the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Fisheries Committee for the West Central Gulf of Guinea (FCWC).
The meeting highlighted a two-track strategy. One track strengthens regional coordination bodies. The other equips port inspectors with intelligence and technology to enforce controls.
The chairperson of the SADC Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Coordination Centre (MCSCC) and the chief executive officer of Namibia’s Fisheries Observer Agency, Stanley Ndara, outlined the regional framework supporting the effort.
“One of the mandates of MCSCC, of course, is to coordinate measures to improve fisheries, to combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fisheries, but most importantly also, fisheries crimes. There are so many crimes that are associated with fishing vessels. They may transport contraband and issues of prostitution and slavery. So, there are crimes embedded through fishing vessels,” Ndara said.
Based in Maputo, Mozambique, the SADC MCSCC coordinates procedures, shares information on vessel movements and histories, and builds inspection capacity across the bloc’s 16 member states. Nine SADC countries are already parties to the PSMA.
He said the centre also promotes best practices in fisheries governance and a sustainable blue economy, including the harmonisation of laws and regional cooperation.
Ndara stressed that while the MCSCC plays a coordinating role, enforcement powers remain with national authorities.
“Neither SADC nor the SADC MCSCC exercises port state authority. They do not conduct inspections, deny port entry or port use, or take enforcement action. All such powers remain with national competent authorities. PSMA explicitly anticipates coordination at subregional and regional levels. Within this framework, SADC and the SADC MCSCC act as enabling and coordinating bodies that strengthen member state implementation without replacing national authority,” he said.
A programme operating in FCWC member states and other regions reinforces regional coordination through practical support.
Since 2021, the initiative “Supporting PSMA implementation in Africa: Intelligence-led fisheries port controls” has been providing tools and training to enhance enforcement. The programme is backed by Norway and implemented by partners TMT and Global Fishing Watch.
The initiative has supported countries including Ivory Coast, Ghana, Kenya and Senegal with PSMA Port Profiles, which analyse foreign fishing vessel traffic, and with a tool known as Vessel Viewer. Ndara said the open-source platform allows inspectors to verify a vessel’s identity, ownership and past activity before granting port access.
He said the combination of SADC coordination and intelligence-led port controls is helping African states tighten oversight of ports.
Ndara said the message is clear that African ports, including those in Southern and West Africa, are becoming less accessible to illegal catch in order to protect food security, livelihoods and the ocean economy.
